With the good news that American cases of and casualties from coronavirus may be peaking, we are now faced with the sobering realization of what government has done that may have contributed to its spread. What’s worse, there also needs to be a reckoning of how the methods may have seriously violated our rights and freedoms.

In a commentary published by Issues & Insights, National Center President David A. Ridenour lays out the troubling news associated with the coronavirus response:

State and local governments are trampling our constitutional rights in the name of controlling the spread of the virus. And many Americans – including supposed civil libertarians – aren’t just failing to object, they are actually cheering it.

In particular, lamenting an apparent dual assault on assembly and religion found in orders to stop religious services, David writes:

Churches across America are being shuttered. New York Mayor Bill De Blasio threatened to permanently close any church or synagogue holding services in violation of his emergency order.

Surprisingly, most church leaders haven’t just failed to push back against these unambiguous First Amendment violations, but have embraced them. The few who have resisted, such as Tampa megachurch pastor Howard Browne, have been arrested.

The house of the Lord – a place of worship, Christian fellowship, comfort and refuge that has been open to all through two world wars, communist persecution and even past pandemics – is now only available to those with internet connections. Someday, a post-mortem on the church in America may list its subservience to government now as one of the leading causes of death.

On top of this egregious assault on liberty, David further chronicles day-to-day infringements on movement and assembly that have been imposed by governments:

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot threatened individuals with arrest for going on runs and bike rides that police deem too long, while Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo sent the National Guard door-to-door to find fleeing New Yorkers and effectively place them under two-week house arrest.

The former example is even more galling considering the fact that Lightfoot was discovered to have received a haircut after closing salons and barbershops in the Windy City with that admonition that “[g]etting your roots done is not essential.” Yet, in her mind, it was for her, because she considered herself “the public face of the city” and had the simple desire that a lot of Americans do right now...

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